What has Guardiola been feeding them indeed?! You are so right about the Messi goal too, I hope I did it justice; I’m just glad he was able to finish it to be honest after some relatively haphazard finishing from the wizard of late ….

Tangerine Dreaming

Yes, that is correct, and all in the first half alone! This indicated their huge desire and commitment to get back into the tie after suffering a rare loss at the Emirates – you are exactly right about pressing being the key to this tie, and unfortunately for Arsenal, they came up against the arguably the best side at doing this for such long periods in the game – and if we are honest, arguably the best team the world has seen full stop.

]]>By: Tangerine Dreaminghttp://backpagefootball.com/tactical-review-xavi-iniesta-and-alves-shine-as-barca-progress-2/16160/#comment-29900
Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:32:13 +0000http://backpagefootball.com/?p=16160#comment-29900Nice article on a game where pressing was king (IMO).

That interceptions image is incredible. If I’ve read that correctly (left to right) then 13 of those 17 interceptions were in the Arsenal half. Superb.

I just want to add (if I may) what a pleasure it is to watch this current Barcelona side.

I”ve been a Manchester United fan for over twenty years so I’ve seen my share of decent sides, but this Barcelona team is simply incredible.

The riches in both talent and technical ability throughout the entire team is borderline ridicoulous.

In most teams there’s normally a handful of players that are technically good on the ball and can create a spark that benefits the team, but every single Barca player has the composure and guile to pick out a pass even when under immense pressure. They use the ball so effectively and they keep possession so effortlessly.

Also, the sheer amount of energy that goes into closing down the ball during the rare spells when Barca are not in possession, almost defies science. What does Guardiola feed them?!?!

Apologies for rambling on, but to close I wanted to mention Messi’s first goal in the only way I know how.

On first glance I thought that Almunia parried an initial Messi shot, but replays showcased another outlandish piece of ingenuity and skill from the Argentinian. With the Arsenal keeper advancing on to him, Messi lifted the ball effortlessly over the Spaniard and lashed home with an instantaneous volley.

For several minutes afterwards a friend and I – like over excited boys – called out variations of “How the hell did he do that?” and generally melted in awe thanks to another episode of brilliance from a player widely regarded as the best player in the World. It’s moments like Messi’s opener that back a solid claim.